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G & S Brough Shoemakers. Camden St

Charlie

Charlie

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Does anyone know if Brough's is still a working factory? It is/was in the area of Holliday Street and the back overlooked the canal.
I remember going there a few times when my Auntie worked on the presses, stamping out washers. She died of emphasyma and I'm sure it was because they made felt washers and there were no 'elf 'n safety rules then.
Thanks.
 
G.& S.Brough

The Brough factory in your picture has now been demolished to make way for the Qube (right spelling) development.I took some pictures of the factories in Commercial Street before and during demolition. BobS
 
The new address for G & S Brough, is 28-40 Leopold street, Highgate.

Just google the name & you will be able to see the new factory.

I have a passing interest in this firm as they were started by past relatives of mine George & Samuel Brough, they were boot & shoe makers
by trade.

Margaret.
 
Charlie said:
Does anyone know if Brough's is still a working factory? It is/was in the area of Holliday Street and the back overlooked the canal.
I remember going there a few times when my Auntie worked on the presses, stamping out washers. She died of emphasyma and I'm sure it was because they made felt washers and there were no 'elf 'n safety rules then.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Charlie,

Another poster has told you that Brough's have moved to a new factory in Leopold St. I am actually Sales Manager for the company that still supplies felt to them, although their usage is nothing compared with years ago. Their old factory in Commercial Street was something else....I always wore old clothes when I visited it. Mrs Smith was the buyer, sadly no longer with us. A good old company, though.

Big Gee
 
Hello Big Gee, I remember going to the Commercial Street factory and trying not to breath in the floating fibres from the washers. Someone said they also used asbestos! Not quite the good old days eh?
 
I wonder if someone can kindly do a lookup for the shoe/boot company G&S Brough for me. I had assumed that George & Samuel Brough were the founders of this company in 1861...but looking again at my tree I am not sure that it can be the same G & S Brough. George was a silver smith in 1861 & lived at 126 Lower Camden St ( his son Samuel was 4 months old). On the 1871 now at 98 Camden St, George is a boot & Shoe Dealer & Samuel is now 10. On the 1881 they are both Boot manufacturers. Living in Wellington Rd Handsworth in 1891 George now says he is a "Retired Electro Plater" but Samuel is a boot maker right through to the 1911 when he is living at 2 Holly Road Handsworth & a boot manufacturer/employer. So my question is ...would a father start a company & name his infant son in the title of the firm? Any thoughts will much appreciated & a Kelly's lookup might give me some answers to my questions..NOTE: I have just done another search for myself & it would appear that Samuel had an elder brother called George b 1857 & he became a boot manufacturer in 1881. He was still a boot & shoe manufacture/employer on the 1901/1911 & he lived in Holly Rd & then Lansdowne Rd both Handsworth.....

Many Thanks,
Margaret.
 
Margaret
You certainly have a very complicated shoemaking empire. I did try to colour code the entries, but they got too mixed up. The results are below, but basically it looks like to me that the electroplate business was started by thomas Brough (with a moulson at first). He brought in George (his son?) , but not long after disappeared (died?) and George wasn’t interested in plating, but took up bootmaking. Then it gets complicated , with at least two Georges, and a probable different George junior. Also you get ownership of a shop apparently by one George, and also by a “George & Samuel”. Anyway I hope the info is helpful. I have also included the home addresses of the Georges I found, though only one (in 1873) can definitely be associated with a particular participant
1845 N o entry for Brough (or Moulson) silverplate maker (or bootmaker)
1849 Brough & Moulson, manufacturers of german silver & platedware, 32 Sun st west (different directory to entry below, probably taken earlier)
1849 Brough Thomas, manufacturer of silverplated wares, 32, Sun St.West
1855 Brough Thomas, manufacturer of silver plated & electroplated wares, 28 Northwood street
1858 Brough Thomas and George, manfrs of electroplated wares, 195, Warstone Ln
1862 Brough George ,shoemaker 93½ Camden St
(195 Warstone lane is Edward Vaughton, jeweller)
1867-68 Brough George boot & shoemaker 93 Camden St
1867-68 Brough George shoemaker 114 Gooch St
1872-76 Brough George, boot & shoe maker, 98 Camden street *
1872-76 Brough George, boot maker, 115 Bloomsbury st & 114 Gooch st
1878 Brough George, boot & shoe maker, 98 Camden street
1878 Brough George, boot maker, 114 Gooch st
1879-80 Brough Geo. jun. boot ma.191 & 193 Camden st .& 4 Cattell rd
1879-82 Brough George, boot maker, 115 Bloomsbury street
1883-84 Brough George & Samuel, .boot, mnakers, 191 & 193 Camden St &
4 Cattell:road
1884 Brough George & Samuel. boot& shoe dlr, 4 Windmill,ln.Smethwick..
1884-88 Brough George, bootmaker, 281 bloomsbury St, & 358 Bearwood road, smethwick
1888 Brough George & Samuel, hoot makers, 191 & 193 Camden st; 4
Cattell rd & 4½ Windmill lane, Smethwick & 9 Albion street
1890 Brough George & Samuel, boot makers, 191 & 193 Camden st; 4
Cattell rd & 4½ Windmill lane, Smethwick & 175 Sherlock St
1890-92 Brough George, bootmaker, 281 bloomsbury St, 25 Spring Hill & 358 Bearwood road, smethwick
1890 Brough Bros, boot & shoe makers, 336 New Town row
1892-97 Brough Brothers, boot & shoe makers & leather merchants,
14 Park, road, Aston &; 336 New Town row
1892 Brough George & Samuel, bootmakers,, 191 & 193.Camden st; ,4 & 5 Cattell rd:&,4½.Windmill lane, Smethwick
1890-92 Brough George, bootmaker, 281 bloomsbury St, 25 Spring Hill & 358 Bearwood road, smethwick
1895 Brough George & Samuel, bootmakers,, 191 & 193.Camden st; ,4 & 5 Cattell rd:, 108 hockley Hill &,4½.Windmill lane, Smethwick
1895-97 Brough George, bootmaker, 25 Spring Hill & 358 Bearwood road, smethwick
1896 Brough George & Samuel, bootmakers,, 191 & 193.Camden st; ,4 & 5
Cattell rd:, 108 hockley Hill &,192 high St Aston
1897 Brough George & Samuel, bootmakers,, 191 & 193.Camden st; ,4 & 5
Cattell rd:, 108 hockley Hill , 25 spring hill & 336 Newtown row
1899-1900 Brough George & Samuel, bootmakers,, 191 & 193.Camden st; ,4 & 5
Cattell rd:, 108 hockley Hill , 192 High St, 14 Park Rd, Aston & 25
spring hill & 336 Newtown row
1899-1904 Brough George, bootmaker, 358 Bearwood road, smethwick
1903 Brough George & Samuel, bootmakers,, 191 & 193.Camden st; ,4 & 5
Cattell rd:, 108 hockley Hill , 192 High St, 14 Park Rd, Aston & 25
spring hill, 336 Newtown row & 123 Farm St
1904 Brough George & Samuel, bootmakers,, 191 & 193.Camden st; ,4 & 5
Cattell rd:, 108 hockley Hill , 192 High St, 14 Park Rd, Aston & 25
spring hill, 336 Newtown row
1905-08 Brough Geo. & Saml.boot makers, 191 & 193 Camden st.; 4 & 5
Cattell road ; 108 Hockley hill; 14 Park rd. Aston;25 & 27 Spring hill
& 336 New Town row
1905-15 Brough George, bootmaker, 519 Bearwood road, smethwick
1912-15 Brough Geo. & Saml.boot makers, 191 & 193 Camden st.; 4-5 Cattell rd; 108 Hockley hill;;25 & 27 Spring hill &336 New Town Row
1921 Brough G. & S. boot makers, 108 Hockley hill; 25 Spring hill & 215
High street, Aston; & leather merchants, 191 &.193 Camden street.
1932-37 Brough G. & S. leather goods manufacturers, 191 & 193 Camden St
1938-40 Brough G. & S. leather goods manuf, 191 & 193 Camden St & 14B
Tenby St
1943-50 Brough G. & S. leather goods manuf, 191 & 193 Camden
1955-73 Brough G. & S. Ltd. non-metallic washer mfrs. 25/29 Commercial st 1
No Kellys after 1973

* In 1873 this George’s home is given as Albert Road. Handsworth
1879-82 Brough George ,Wellington rd Handsworth
1882 Brough George, 39 Monument road
1883-84 Brough George , Highfields, Wellington rd Handsworth
1884 Brough George jun, Hughenden, Wellington rd Handsworth

1888 Brough George, 21 Aston la.PerryBarr.
1888-90 Brough George, Mayfield, Wellington road, Handsworth
1890 Brough George, 76 Sycamore road, Handsworth
1892-1900 Brough George, 7 Wellington road, Handsworth
1895-97 Brough George, jun , 106 Holly Rd, Handsworth
1899-1900 Brough George, 91 Holly Rd, Handsworth
(also in 1900 is a George at Kingswood villa, Pack horse lane, Hollywood, Kings Norton)
1903-08 Brough George, 107 Whitehall road,Handsworth
1912 Brough George, 82 Lansdowne road,Handsworth

Mike
 
Last edited:
There is still a G & S Brough, in Leopold Street Birmingham, used to be in Commercial Street (By the Mailbox) very old established company manufacturing gaskets, and leather goods (seals)
 
Hello Mike....what a star you are to give me so many addresses to check out, especially the ones between the cenuses'. This is a complicated family because they LOVED the name George..most branches had a George ! I am now happier that I haven't made a wrong turn with George & Samuel who were shoe makers, but the firm seemed to be established when they were both children. Another branch were also shoemakers ( including yet another George).... so once again my thanks to you Mike I do appreciate your help & I will enjoy double checking the adresses against my own findings. Note: Thank you dib44 I was aware that the firm was still around but they stopped making shoes/boots around WW1, but I believe it is still Brough family that run the firm today.

Margaret.
 
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